Patrick Rock is charged
with three counts of making indecent photographs of children and
one count of possessing indecent images of children.

The offences, said to have been committed last summer in the US,
relate to more than 60 images, all described as category C - the
lowest on the scale.

Before his arrest and resignation, Rock was an adviser to Prime
Minister David Cameron on internet porn filters, introduced last year to curb
children’s ability to access adult content online.

According to the Open Rights Group, the government-backed ISP
filters have been overzealous in blocking completely innocuous
websites, raising concerns over web censorship. The percentage of
sites hosting legal pornographic material online is thought to be
close to 4 percent.

Rock spoke only to confirm his name during the 10-minute hearing
when he appeared at a preliminary hearing at London's Southwark
Crown Court. He was bailed to return to court on October 9.

The offence of making indecent images of children carries a
maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment under Section 1 of the
Protection of Children Act 1978. Possessing child abuse images
has a statutory maximum of five years’ imprisonment under Section
160 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.